Scholarships for girls

Owing to myriad reasons, girl students in India are not able to pursue education at times, especially at high school and higher secondary school levels. According to the 2011 Census, female literacy stood at 65.46% compared to 82.14% for males. With proper education, this skewed balance can slowly be righted and girls can be given more independence and personal power. Scholarships for girls are one way to motivate girl students to attend school and complete higher education.

Financial hardships are one of the top hindrances for girl students to continue their education. Higher levels of the study also cost more and add to the burden. However, scholarships for girls can significantly reduce the strain on families. Look at some of the top scholarships that can be availed by girls.

These scholarships for girls offer them a very good opportunity to pursue their studies at secondary, higher secondary, and degree levels. The financial incentives are varied and are based on the type of study undertaken as well as the level of education.

Additional scholarships to consider

There are more scholarships for girls you can consider applying for. The Tata Housing Scholarships for Meritorious Girl Students seeks to promote and financially aid meritorious female students who come from economically weaker backgrounds. It provides for them to complete higher education in the fields of architecture and construction, project management and civil engineering. The scholarship covers admission and tuition fees, books, library etc to the tune of INR 60,000. Students in their 2nd year of Architecture in B-Tech/B.E/B. Arch or Civil Engineering or girls in their 1st year of MBA in Construction Project Management can apply for the scholarship. Annual family income should also be less than INR 3 lakh.

Tata Trust is another provider of scholarships for girls, one of them being the Lady Meherbai D Tata Education Scholarship. It assists students who want to complete higher education in the US, UK or Europe in the areas of Health Policy and Health Education, Social Work, Social Science Education, Development Studies, Rural Development Work, and Communication for Development among others. Eligible candidates include graduates with remarkable academic records.

The Sanskriti Foundation is yet another body that offers scholarships for girls. The Prabha Dutt Fellowship aims to encourage young women to conduct research and investigations on contemporary information-related topics. The fellowship spans 10-month duration and totals INR 1 lakh. Women print journalists between 25 and 40 years of age are eligible to apply.

Joining the many organisations/companies that provide scholarships for girls is Internshala. Girls between 17 and 23 years of age with a career objective are eligible to apply for it. The academic scholarship of INR 25,000 aims to recognise girls who have surpassed hardships in order to pursue careers in any field. Meanwhile, girls from disadvantaged backgrounds who want to pursue higher studies after class 12 with a minimum of 2 years duration can apply for The Santoor Women’s Scholarship. Girls who have enrolled in a full-time recognised diploma or degree programme are eligible for the scholarship, which amounts to INR 24,000-36,000 p.a.

Which to choose

The government and non-government institutions fund scholarships for girls as well as boys. Which to choose really depends on what course you hope to pursue and your eligibility. It is very important to think long and hard before selecting a scholarship. Will the benefits really work in your favour? Are you willing to see a course through and give it your all? Scholarships are largely merit-based and this means having good grades and leadership qualities that will help you shine. Need-based scholarships, on the other hand, are given to students from financially weaker sections. However, while family income plays the bigger role, it is still important to have good academic and co-curricular records.

Once you have decided what course of study you wish to pursue, seek out scholarships that are in line with the same. Make sure you are eligible, fill out the necessary application, and hand in the required documents. The last step is to wait and see if you’ve been selected.